A Visibly Defensive PM

Tuesday 31 January 2017

After the Prime Minister’s speech to the nation on December 31, 2016, Aurobindo Ghose of the Peoples’ Rights Organisation (Manav Adhikar Manch) observed:

“Today he was different. Sounding concilitiary and compensatory. Atoning for the unsaid sins of Demonetisation. Seemed to be very much on the back foot. The barbs against the Opposition were less sharp and not so conspicuous.This was both a pre-election freebies speech as well as a Budget speech, partially pre-empting Arun Jaitley two months ahead! When in difficult times, the business strategy is not one of optimising gains, but of cutting down and minimising losses.The corporate theory of the second best. This seemed to be the tone and tenor of a humbler-looking PM this evening.”